"Taekwondo Hub City" Chuncheon Launches Nation's First Local Government Taekwondo Team for Athletes with Disabilities

Inaugural Head Coach Jung Kuhyeon Brings Extensive Experience, Including Producing National Team Athletes
Top Domestic Athletes Recruited, Including Paris Paralympic Medalist Junghoon Joo
Comprehensive Training Roadmap Set for Next Year's Asian Games and 2028 Paralympics

Chuncheon City, known as the "Taekwondo Hub City," has become the first local government in the nation to establish a Taekwondo team for athletes with disabilities.

Chuncheon City Hall exterior view.

Junghoon Joo, Taekwondo athlete for the disabled from Chuncheon City (Paralympic medalist). Provided by Chuncheon City

The Chuncheon City Sports Association for the Disabled (President: Yuk Donghan, Mayor of Chuncheon) completed the procedures to launch its workplace Taekwondo team for athletes with disabilities on September 30. The association finalized contracts with the inaugural head coach, Jung Kuhyeon, who also serves as the head coach of the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Taekwondo team for the disabled, and four athletes: Junghoon Joo, Dongho Lee, Jaechun Eom, and Jiwon Kim.

Coach Jung Kuhyeon was appointed through an open recruitment process, based on his extensive experience as a dedicated coach for the Korea Taekwondo Association for the Disabled, head coach of the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province team for the disabled, and leader of the Chuncheon City special reserve Taekwondo team for athletes with disabilities.

Coach Jung is expected to make significant contributions to improving the athletes' performance and establishing the team's structure, thanks to his proven track record in producing national team athletes for four consecutive years and guiding athletes to win awards at various national competitions, as well as his stable team management skills.

The team is composed of athletes with experience in both domestic and international competitions, as well as promising talents. The roster includes Junghoon Joo, bronze medalist in the men's -80kg Taekwondo at the 2024 Paris Paralympics; Dongho Lee, bronze medalist in the -70kg category at the 10th Asian Para Taekwondo Championships; Jaechun Eom, gold medalist in the -70kg Taekwondo at the 43rd National Para Sports Festival; and Jiwon Kim, silver medalist in the mixed Poomsae event at the same festival. Dongho Lee will join the team starting in December.

The team will begin training this month and plans to establish a training roadmap in preparation for next year's Asian Games in Nagoya.

Yuk Donghan, President of the Chuncheon City Sports Association for the Disabled, stated, "The establishment of the nation's first local government Taekwondo team for athletes with disabilities is the first step toward making Chuncheon a global center for Taekwondo. We will ensure that both the able-bodied and disabled Taekwondo teams are operated together, so that athletes can train and live in an even better environment through joint training and other initiatives."

Lee Gwangho, head of the workplace Taekwondo team at the Chuncheon City Sports Association for the Disabled, also commented, "We will spare no effort to support our athletes so that they can secure qualification for the 2028 LA Paralympics."

Meanwhile, the inaugural ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on October 16 on the second floor of the Chuncheon Sky Convention Wedding Hall.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.